More Curran emails, Handley offered job, O’Connor told off

This story keeps on rolling. Clare Curran has admitted ‘there may be more’ emails, and it is claimed that Derek Handley was offered the job of Chief Technology Officer but that was put on hold when the Curran story started coming out.

Former Communications Minister Clare Curran says there “may be some more” emails between her and job applicant Derek Handley that have not been released.

When Curran was fired from Cabinet she proactively released a chain of emails, texts, and Twitter direct messages between her and Handley setting up the meeting.

But one of Handley’s emails indicates that other communications may have been exchanged, at one point saying he wants to check “one final time” about the meeting and that he appreciates Curran might not have the time to respond to his “emails”.

It’s also not clear where Handley got Curran’s mobile number or got direct instructions on how to access the Beehive after-hours, when the meeting took place.

Asked if she had released all of her emails with Handley on Tuesday, Curran said “there may be some more”.

“They are the full chain of emails that related to the meeting I had with him in February,” Curran said. “There may be some more.”

Curran said she was archiving all of her Gmail messages that were related to ministerial matters and they would be discoverable to journalists under the Official Information Act.

That sounds like an open invitation to journalists to make OIA requests to see the emails.

Entrepreneur Derek Handley was offered the job of chief technology officer by the Government, according to an informed source, raising the question of whether he could be entitled to compensation if the appointment is not now confirmed.

The recruitment process remains in limbo after former communications minister Clare Curran admitted last month that she had “omitted” to disclose a February meeting with Handley when responding to a written parliamentary question.

Handley was understood to have been selected as the preferred candidate for the $400,000 job as the country’s first national chief technology officer (CTO), but it was not previously clear whether he had actually been offered the role.

An informed source said he had been, but had no information on whether he had then accepted.

The appointment process is believed to have been stopped in the same week that he was due to be announced as the successful candidate.

30 Comments

Gezza

PDB

Maybe he took one for the team…..Labour spin doctors got him to say some minor criticism of Ardern in order to make Ardern look decisive with her ministers when she then ‘told him who’s boss’. Seems an overaction by her and also very convenient when she is getting heavily criticised by the MSM/in social media for weak leadership.

Gezza

Nope. He’s just thick. As soon as Andy surrendered to the fact he was tanking them in the polls and abjectly handed over the reins to Tractor Girl – he got himself photographed in the Dom gleefully smashing up a Vote For Andy hoarding he’d had erected weeks before. The man’s a full-on old git with no common sense.

Blazer

Ray

This is really looking dodgy, and might explain Clare’s problems with answers or rather her lack of answers in Parliament. There was an explanation of her behaviour at the time that she was seriously worried with just what National’s Lee knew!
Highly unlikely I know but you heard it here first, she could be the phantom leaker, plenty of pointers and I bet her phone suddenly get smashed in a freak accident if she was.

Gezza

She spent most of her time in Opposition. The limited & disaster-prone time she spent as a Cabinet Minister in this coaltion showed up in stark relief just how stupid, incompetent – and possibly even unethical – she actually is. If she’s still the electorate MP after the next election it will be because the electorate is un-discerning and tribal.

listening to the General debate.. a few drops of ‘blood in the water’ & the ravenous sharks (Natl) cant help but circle.. looking to spill more or maybe strike a deadly blow (in their minds.. at least) 😦 😦

Gezza

Labour incompetents spent 9 years trying to bite National and get some blood in the water. In the end they were just drowning themselves until Winston invited the teenager with the bikini onto his boat & said she and a few of her dopey friends could fish from there as long as they gave him the pick of the catch. Or he’d turf them back into the sea.